Being a top-eight team in the entire state is no consolation for the Kamehameha Warriors.

It culminates tonight at Aloha Stadium, when a season of hope comes down to a playoff showdown with rival Punahou. Kamehameha (4-5, 3-4), the third-place team in ILH Open Division, meets second-place Punahou (6-2, 5-2), and the winner takes on front-runner Saint Louis next week.

The Warriors have three wins over Top 10 opponents. They lost close battles with OIA powerhouses Mililani (31-24) and Campbell (26-22). In their regular-season matchup with Punahou, it was a 14-all tie at halftime before Punahou prevailed 30-14.

“It’s do or die now. All the bullets are live and everyone is 0-0 coming into this week,” Kamehameha offensive lineman Lokahi Pauole said. “This is more important than all the games so far.”

Punahou’s standout linebacker Maninoa Tufono (6-foot-2, 235 pounds) sat out the first meeting with a hip pointer. He’s looking forward to the biggest game of the Buffanblu’s season to date.

“It started right after our Waianae game, our practice on Saturday,” said Tufono, who committed to USC on Aug. 6. “We’re locked in and we have to be prepared for this stretch. Our leaders set the tone at practice, taking everything a step higher, taking our game a level up.”

“It’s about us worrying about us and everybody doing their job. We’re expecting something different from last time. If we come out the way we did against Mililani or the game against Waianae, it starts with our mentality on defense.”

Kamehameha has relied heavily on Pauole and his partners in the trenches. Alec Serrao (595 yards, one touchdown) and Reino Bush (403, one TD) average a very respectable 5.9 yards per carry combined. In the year of the OIA-ILH reunification, that’s a robust number.

That solidity up front has allowed Christmas Togiai to mature in the pocket. The versatile athlete has passed for 744 yards with six TDs and just four picks in nine games. It’s the kind of high-percentage, low-risk offense that gives Kamehameha’s defense plenty of time to recharge.

Hoku Arias, their inside linebacker, and defensive back Tiger Peterson are tone-setters. There’s a very good chance this rematch will be decided in the box.

“Punahou’s defense is one of the better ones in the state,” said Pauole, who has eight scholarship offers. “But our defense is also one of the top front sevens in the state. We go against them every day, and that helps us a lot.”

Pauole, a left guard with heft (6-3, 320) and agility as a pulling blocker, has seen change and experienced different concepts. When he was a freshman on the JV, Doug Cosbie was the varsity head coach. Then came former Warriors standout Abu Ma’afala from West Liberty University.

“My sophomore year, we were more pass heavy, but throughout the years, we’ve adapted with (Kanoa) Shannon, and then Reino and Alec, some of the top running backs in the state,” Pauole said. “Offensively, moving into his game, we’ll probably be more balanced, but the running game is our bread and butter.”

The meetings with teammates and coaches. The film study. The on-field reps. The weight room reps. It all ends for one of these teams.

“I feel like we’ve prepared for this. We’ve been working toward making the state tournament and becoming state champions,” Pauole said. “This should be our best game yet.”

Punahou coach Kale Ane has seen plenty of evolution over the years.

What was once a single-wing attack became a three- and four-wide foundation with West Coast tendencies. Then came the pistol-offset I with wide splits and spacing, morphing into the four-wide that has been more common in recent seasons.

The current incantation has seen the development of Hugh Brady, a burly slinger who has passed for 2,179 yards and 24 TDs with just nine interceptions in 269 attempts. The Buffanblu have plenty of pass-catching talent with Tamatoa Falatea (54 receptions, 861 yards, eight TDs), Koa Eldredge (31, 609, eight) and Moku Dancil-Evans (34, 404, five).

They also have no hesitation about getting the ball to running backs Vincent Terrell and Sitiveni Kaufusi on pass routes. Terrell, who also returns kicks, has 534 yards and three TDs from scrimmage, averaging 6.2 yards per touch. Kaufusi (6-2, 230), the larger, more bulldozing ball-carrier, averages 4.4 yards per touch.

Defensively, the Punahou front seven has been powered by a steady D-line and the athleticism of linebackers like Tufono. The emergence of senior Marist Liufau (6-2, 185) into a Troy Polamalu-type playmaker has increased the effectiveness of Punahou’s defensive game plans. Liufau’s prowess against the run has added virtually an extra linebacker from the safety position. He is, in one way, the kryptonite to Kamehameha’s offensive philosophy, but if the Warriors exploit his calculated risk-taking, the game could tilt toward the boys in blue from Kapalama Heights.

BEST OF THE REST

Kapolei at No. 5 Kahuku
Today, 7:30 p.m.

The No. 5 Red Raiders are 2-2 in OIA Open play (5-3 overall), which means they are locked into the third seed behind Mililani (5-0) and Campbell (3-1). Campbell has the head-to-head tiebreaker over Kahuku by virtue of its 28-27 win over Big Red two weeks ago.

This has been a heartbreaking week for Kahuku faithful with the passing of longtime assistant coach Tommy Heffernan. Beyond the field, Heffernan was instrumental in constructing the throwback photos and mementos that enliven the Kahuku locker room. The longtime Red Raider was always gracious and hospitable to visitors.

While Kahuku has a playoff berth sewn up, Kapolei (3-6, 1-3) is in a battle for the fourth and final spot. If the Hurricanes win, they’re in. If they lose and Waianae upsets Campbell, Waianae is in. If Kapolei and Waianae lose, both will fall into a three-way tie with Farrington. The fourth playoff berth would then be determined by coin flips.

It’s a daunting task for the visiting Hurricanes, but history says there’s a chance. Though Kahuku has won the past six meetings by at least nine points, Kapolei came to Carleton E. Weimer Field on Oct. 26, 2007 and upset the Red Raiders 14-7 in a playoff game.

Campbell at Waianae
Today, 6:30 p.m.

The No. 4 Sabers have second place locked up and the opening round of the OIA Open playoffs is next week, so it’s possible coach Darren Johnson will look to rest some of his starters. That would make sense because some of them have pulled two-way, iron man duty in recent weeks for the Sabers’ biggest games.

Campbell (6-3, 3-1 OIA Open) opened the season with four wins, then lost the next three games against top-four foes, and is now on a two-game win streak. The Sabers defense has been tenacious, with Taelase Gaoteote and Brandon Frysinger fueling the pass rush.

Waianae (1-7, 1-3) needs a victory plus a Kapolei loss to Kahuku. If Waianae and Kapolei pull off upsets, Kapolei has the head-to-head edge and would claim the fourth spot.

The Seariders have been shut out in four of their past five games, but the offense showed a spark in the loss to Punahou when Shaydon Lopes entered the game. Waianae’s defense has provided the most hope, with Zefften Thompson-Avilla (6-1, 300), Paul Fano and James Joseph III leading the charge.

Waianae won last year’s matchup at home, 29-21, in overtime. The Sabers have not won at Raymond Torii Field since 2010.

Waipahu at Leilehua
Today, 7:30 p.m.

The OIA Division I playoffs kick off with this ancient rivalry, which is nearly as old as Father Time, a.k.a. the beginning of the Rural Oahu Interscholastic Association. The No. 9 Mules have a six-game win streak against the Marauders, who last beat Leilehua in 2003. Waipahu hasn’t won at Hugh Yoshida Stadium since 2000.

Leilehua (8-2, 6-1 OIA D-I) has won four in a row since falling at home to division front-runner Moanalua. First-year starter Max Nichols has eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark (2,095 yards, 27 TDs) with just 11 interceptions in 295 attempts. James McGary missed three games with an injury, but has rushed for 617 yards and six TDs in just seven games.

Nichols’ diverse array of pass catchers makes this a truly balanced offense. Seven receivers have at least 12 receptions, including clutch playmaker Jeremy Evans (40 catches, 723 yards, 13 TDs).

The Marauders’ venture into D-I has been enthralling after an 18-4 run in D-II the previous two seasons. The graduation of key linemen, receivers and secondary standouts hasn’t derailed the black flag. Waipahu (6-4, 5-2) is 2-1 playing in opposing stadiums, including a 12-6 double-OT win at Kailua last week.

Leilehua coach and defensive guru Mark Kurisu is unlikely to let Waipahu RB Alfred Failauga (488 yards, five TDs in five games) see daylight. The Marauders lost at home to Leilehua 50-20 three weeks ago. Coach Bryson Carvalho will dig deep into his bag of tricks to keep the game close — and try to keep Leilehua’s offense waiting on the sideline.

Pearl City at Roosevelt
Saturday, 5:30 p.m.

The Rough Riders had unbeaten St. Francis on the ropes last week before falling 20-14. It was a game the OIA D-II runner-up easily could have mailed in, since it didn’t count toward the league standings, but coach Kui Kahooilihala’s squad was up to the challenge.

Now Roosevelt (8-2, 6-1) draws a feisty Pearl City squad, the third seed, in the opening round of the playoffs. Roosevelt went to Pearl City two weeks ago and spoiled the Chargers’ senior night with a 49-14 rout. Pearl City (6-4, 5-2) has had two weeks to study Roosevelt’s impeccable option offense.

Roosevelt QB Sky Ogata has accounted for 1,537 yards and 18 TDs, including 11 on the ground. Mitchell Camacho (599 yards, two TDs) and Mika Kukahiwa (288, four) have bolstered the offense. Roosevelt has run the ball 337 times and passed it 105, a run-pass ratio of 76 percent rush and 24 percent pass.

Pearl City’s defense has been stellar most of the season. The unit kept the Chargers close in a 12-3 loss to first-place Kaimuki last week.